When it comes to bottoms, wear pants that are soft and loose with a stretchy waistband—i.e., yoga pants, fisherman pants, drawstring pants or sweatpants.

Sweatpants are optimal because they are the warmest of them all. If, however, you don’t want to look like a college student, you can buy designer sweatpants from brands like Lululemon.

When it comes to tops, dress in layers. Wear an undershirt; then a long-sleeved shirt; then a hoodie sweatshirt.

Why a hoodie? Because, with its hood and front pockets, you can keep your head, torso and ears nice and warm while you sleep.

You can also bring along a light scarf for your neck. And, if you like to be shoe-free whilst lounging in your seat, you can keep your toes toasty by bringing along a pair of thick socks like REI’s Merino Wool Expedition Socks.

Whether you board your flight at 11am or 11pm, they will feed you a semi-substantive meal within the first hour after takeoff.

They do this for a reason… to knock you out (in a good way)!

It tends to go down like this: take off… drink service… food service… l-o-n-g cue for the bathrooms… the cabin lights are turned down real low… the cabin gets nice and quiet… most of the passengers end up nodding off soon thereafter.

If you’re not too keen on eating the meals catered by the airline, bring at least 2 fulfilling meals of your own.

Additionally, be sure to pack a snack or two in case you get a lil’ hungry between meal services.

Note: Normally, there are two meal services during a long-haul flight, plus a little snack handed out at the midpoint. For most major airlines, this is included in the cost of your airfare.

STEP 3

Bring a Pillow, Bottle & Plugs

STEP 3

Bring a Pillow,
Bottle & Plugs

Pillow

Airline pillows are a joke. They’re thin, tiny and scruffy.

If you don’t have a quality travel pillow, you should definitely invest in one. Your neck, cheeks and ears will be ever so grateful!

My go-to is the XpresSpa RESERSaPILLOW, a microbead, 2-in-1 pillow that is comfy and can morph from a neck pillow to a square-shaped one in seconds. I also wrap my pillow in a pillowcase for added softness and hygenic protection.

Yet, when your legs remain still for extended periods of time, your blood circulation slows and this can sometimes lead to DVT, which can prove fatal if one or more blood clots make their way to your lungs.

This is also why you should wear loose-fitting clothing (Step 1) and drink plenty of water (Step 3) during your flight.

My rule of thumb is, every time I visit the restroom, before returning to my seat, I’ll do a few laps up and down the aisles and I’ll hang out in the plane’s galley for a bit to do some stretching and to refill my water bottle (see Step 3).

In the galley, you may encounter another passenger and/or a flight attendant who’s up for a chat—I’ve gotten great trip itinerary recommendations this way!

STEP 5

Pack a Variety of Entertainment Options

STEP 5

Pack a Variety of Entertainment Options

You stow away your carry-on, settle into your seat and buckle in.

Your game plan? To wile the hours by watching a bunch of movies and TV shows on the in-flight entertainment center (IFE) in front of you.

You touch the screen and… nothing happens.

You, my friend, have been cursed with an out of order IFE on a long-haul flight that’s completely full.

This rarely happens, but on the off-chance it ends up happening to you, be sure to bring reinforcements:

A book. Magazine. Deck of cards. Sudoku. Ball of yarn and knitting needles. And / or digital games to play, movies to watch and eBooks to read on your smartphone or tablet, alongside a USB power cord to keep your devices charged and alive.

Even if your IFE ends up being in tip-top shape, you may find the viewing options uninspiring or, during Hour X, you may tire of watching motion pictures.

So it’s always wise to have a variety of other things to do to save yourself from sheer boredom when you’re not quite sleepy enough to doze off.

Note: Some ultra budget airlines like WOW Air don’t offer IFE at all. So you should definitely bring plenty to entertain yourself with when flying carriers such as these.

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